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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · chest · kid · safe · wound · wax · fine · racket

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kid — to tease
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com